"New Life Audio—Good For The Soul" adorned the entrance to Queens, New York, dealer New Life Audio Solutions's room. Owner Shawn Mathew's smiling countenance and gentle personality made me feel welcome.
A Rockna Audio Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($27,000) and a Lumin U2X digital transport/streamer ($11,000) fed signal to a Trafomatic Audio Tara 30A class-A preamplifier ($80,000), coupled to WestminsterLab Rei bridged monoblocks ($35,000/pair), driving Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA.seven Foundation loudspeakers ($195,000/pair). MasterBuilt Audio cables and Solidsteel racks finalized the system.
System 2 was no slouch. A Rockna Audio Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($27,000) and Lumin U2X digital transport/streamer ($11,000) handled digital conversion. A WestminsterLab Quest preamplifier ($25,000) and VAC Signature 200 iQ monoblocks ($18,000/ea.) amplified the signal. Von Schweikert Audio VR.thirty loudspeakers ($59,000/pair) completed the system, with MasterBuilt Audio cables and Solidsteel racks.
Shawn cued up a demanding double-bill: John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" followed by Earl Wild's Piano Concerto in d minor.
The sonic profile was dark, heavy, saturated. The bass lumbering and a bit boomy--perhaps too much for the room. That flaw was outweighted by the system's virtues: The energy of Coltrane's solos cut through with razor-sharp focus. The shift to Wild's concerto revealed the system's depth with romantic swells. This system's emotional impact spirited me away.
A Rockna Audio Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($27,000) and a Lumin U2X digital transport/streamer ($11,000) fed signal to a Trafomatic Audio Tara 30A class-A preamplifier ($80,000), coupled to WestminsterLab Rei bridged monoblocks ($35,000/pair), driving Von Schweikert Audio ULTRA.seven Foundation loudspeakers ($195,000/pair). MasterBuilt Audio cables and Solidsteel racks finalized the system.
System 2 was no slouch. A Rockna Audio Wavedream Reference Signature DAC ($27,000) and Lumin U2X digital transport/streamer ($11,000) handled digital conversion. A WestminsterLab Quest preamplifier ($25,000) and VAC Signature 200 iQ monoblocks ($18,000/ea.) amplified the signal. Von Schweikert Audio VR.thirty loudspeakers ($59,000/pair) completed the system, with MasterBuilt Audio cables and Solidsteel racks.
The sonic profile was dark, heavy, saturated. The bass lumbering and a bit boomy--perhaps too much for the room. That flaw was outweighted by the system's virtues: The energy of Coltrane's solos cut through with razor-sharp focus. The shift to Wild's concerto revealed the system's depth with romantic swells. This system's emotional impact spirited me away.
